Rajasthan Crisis LIVE Updates: As the deadline for filing nomination papers for the presidential election approaches, Congress is trying hard to get Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to climb from his position and accept being nominee for the party chief position. The party is suggesting that Gehlot should leave the question of his replacement to Sonia Gandhi.
The attempt to rope in Gehlot have been on for three days and the party has so far avoided taking any action against him. Senior party leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma and Ambika Soni have spoken to Gehlot.
The Congress on Tuesday night issued show-cause notice to three Ashok Gehlot loyalists – Rajasthan ministers Shanti Dhariwal and Mahesh Joshi, and Dharmendra Rathore – for their “grave indiscipline” and asked them to explain within 10 days why action should not be initiated against them.
Nearly 25 Rajasthan Congress MLAs met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at his residence here on Tuesday evening, indicating solidarity with the leader amid turmoil in the party’s state unit. Sources said the legislators included ministers Bhanwar Singh Bhati, Saleh Mohammad, Ashok Chandna and Sukhram Vishnoi. MLAs Meena Kumari, Rafiq Khan, Khushveer Jojawar, Amit Chachan, Madan Prajapat and Jagdish Jangid were also present there.
The sources said no discussion about the Congress president’s election was held and the MLAs gave the CM feedback about the political situation in the state. Party sources said the CM said he has no ambition for any post and had apprised party president Sonia Gandhi of it in August. “Nearly 25 MLAs, including ministers, met the CM. They gave feedback to the CM. No discussion about the presidential election was held, ” the sources said. The sources said Gehlot told them to go back to their areas and work strongly.
